WHAT HYPEREMESIS GRAVIDARUM IS TO ME...

Hyperemesis gravidarum is from the Greek hyper-, meaning excessive, and emesis, meaning vomiting, as well as the Latin gravida, meaning pregnant. Therefore, hyperemesis gravidarum literally translates to "excessive vomiting in pregnancy".

A very small percentage of pregnant woman suffer from this condition, less than 2%.

In my case, hyperemesis gravidarum was life threatening.
It caused severe dehydration, many nutritional deficiencies-especially levels of potassium-which lead to uncontrollable muscle cramping, weight loss of 23% of my body weight, high blood pressure, major dental problems, difficulty with normal daily activitys and physical and emotional STRESS!

It can also cause liver damage, subconjunctival hemorrhage(broken blood vessels in the eyes),
hallucinations and even death!

No one knows the true cause of HG. But some people think it's possibly related to hormone levels or hormone imbalances, genetic factors or immune system issues.

Unlike, normal morning sickness, hyperemesis is unrelenting, uncontrollable and likely to last the whole entire pregnancy and sometimes even after the baby is born.

For me, it began around week 6 and lasted up to the day my babies were born.